More community gardens under the Gulayan sa Barangay Program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) have been put up during the Marcos administration, increasing to 27,000 from 2,000.

This was in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive in his Bagong Pilipinas campaign: “Sa mga barangay, ang kaayusan at kalinisan ay gawin nating tuloy-tuloy. Ang bawat bakanteng lupa sa inyong nasasakupan ay gawing halamanan at gulayan (In the barangays, let’s make order and cleanliness continuous. Every vacant land in your jurisdiction should be turned into a garden and vegetable garden).”

DILG Undersecretary Chito Valmocina on Feb. 24 said the Gulayan sa Barangay through the establishment of community gardens was introduced immediately in 17 regions and 42,000 villages.

“Before President Marcos came to power, there were about 2,000 community gardens, and now we have 27,000 of them all over the country,” Valmocina said.

He credited President Marcos’s endorsement of the program to the barangays and the initiative of DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos for the fast increase of community gardens that he said addresses the food security problem.

Valmocina said it is heartwarming that in their visits to the barangays, they can feel the people embracing the program.

He said a memorandum circular from the DILG has authorized the barangays to use their development funds to buy seeds, seedlings, fruit-bearing trees, mangrove wildlings, and garden materials for their community gardens.

Valmocina said the Sangguniang Kabataan can also allocate some PHP20,000 for a 40-square meter fishpond.

“People are realizing that the programs President Marcos wants implemented is the solution to food security,” he added.

Valmocina said in Quezon City, the success of Gulayan sa Barangay is very prominent in Barangay Holy Spirit in 7,000 sqm. with high-value crops included.

He said the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are also involved in the program through a memorandum of agreement with the DILG.

Last year, Valmocina said, the President planted bamboo on his birthday at the 71-hectare dumpsite in San Mateo, Rizal, with some 3,000 barangays participating in the tree-planting activity.

He said the bamboo is thriving since the local government units (LGUs), DILG, and DENR are watching closely to protect the area planted with trees and bamboo. (PNA)